1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a testing apparatus and a method for IC devices for performing testing and/or measurement (testing/measuring) on electric properties of the IC devices (integrated circuit elements).
2. Description of Prior Art
An apparatus for performing testing/measuring on the electric properties of the IC devices is, in general, constructed with an IC tester and an IC handler, wherein the IC handler comprises a loader portion, a testing/measuring portion and an unloader portion. In the loader portion, there are provide or prepared a large number of IC devices received within IC device receiving jigs, such as a tray, etc., wherein a predetermined number of the IC devices are moved of mounted onto a test board, which is suitable for performing the testing/measuring by means of an appropriate handling means, and this test board is transferred into the testing/measuring portion. In the testing/measuring portion, there is provided a contact/separate means for contacting and separating the test boards onto a test head of IC devices, as well as for positioning the test board. Thus, the IC devices are connected to sockets of the test head while being mounted on the test board which is transferred into the testing/measuring portion, thereby the testing/measuring of electric properties can be performed through turning or applying the electricity between them. After completing the testing/measuring on the IC devices, the test board is transferred into the unloader portion, thereby being classified into trays depending upon the test results thereof.
For conducting the testing/measuring on the IC devices with efficiency, the large number of the IC devices must be connected to the respective IC testers at the same time, while mounting them on the test board, and it is common that, in the structure of an apparatus for that purpose, there is provide a horizontal convey or transfer passage, on which are positioned the loader portion, the testing/measuring portion and the unloader portion. Namely, after moving and mounting the IC devices to be tested onto the test board in the load portion, this test board is shifted or moved horizontally and sent into the testing/measuring portion, thereby being positioned at a predetermined position so that the IC devices are connected to the test head of the IC tester, and after the completion of the testing, the test board is further shifted or moved until the unloader portion along with the horizontal transfer passage as it is, thereby being performed with unloading operation thereon. Accordingly, the IC tester is positioned at an upper portion or a lower portion of the horizontal transfer passage on which the test board is transferred, and each of the IC devices mounted on this test board is connected to the sockets on the test head by pushing up or pulling down the test board.
However, in positioning of the IC tester and a convey surface of the test board on the horizontal transfer passage in the IC handler up and down in vertical, the size of the apparatus as a whole comes to be large, in particular in the height thereof. In recent years, various package methods and sizes of the IC devices comes to be used in practice, therefore it is common that the testing apparatus of the IC devices is so constructed as to be able to test several kinds or sizes of the IC devices therewith. Accordingly, when conducting the testing on different IC devices, a portion of the apparatus must be re-arranged in the arrangement thereof. With the IC tester, a portion of the members of an interface in a test head must be exchanged, therefore the work of exchanging or re-arrangement of the test head becomes to be difficult. In particular, since the members to be exchanged or re-arranged are considerable heavy things, therefore the higher the position of the IC tester, the more difficult the work in exchanging the arrangement and/or program. Also, if the convey or transfer surface of the test board is positioned in the upper portion of the IC tester, the lower side of the test board must be contact with the test head of the IC tester. Therefore, it is impossible to contact with the leads of the IC devices directly, therefore the test board becomes complicated in the structure thereof, i.e., the electrodes must be provided in the test board for the connection with the contact portions of the test head. Also, it can be considered that the test board is reversed so as to be connected with the test head, then however, there would be a difficulty in the workings, such as loading and unloading of the IC devices, i.e., the work of setting the tray in which the IC devices to be tested are received into the loader portion, and the work of taking out the tray in which the tested IC devices are received into in the unloader portion become difficult.
By taking the aspects mentioned above into the consideration, for example, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 9-152466 (1997), there is disclosed the structure, wherein the test board is transferred under vertically standing condition not only up to the testing/measuring portion, but also to be carried out from the testing/measuring portion. Accordingly, the contacting/separating of the test board with the test head of the IC tester can be conducted while keeping the test board under the vertical standing condition thereof. With such the structure, it is possible to provide the IC tester and the test board at the positions being substantially same to each other in the height thereof. Herein, in the testing apparatus according to this conventional technology, relating to the fact that the IC devices are tested under the condition of a predetermined temperature, a pre-heat portion is provided at the front stage of the testing/measuring portion, in which all IC devices mounted on the test board are heated or cooled so as to be brought at a preset temperature, while at the rear stage of the testing/measuring portion is provided a defroster portion, in which the temperature of the IC devices and the test board is turned back to the condition, being near to the temperature of the air outside. Constructing them in such the manner as mentioned above, it is possible to perform easily, the work of exchanging the arrangement, in particular in a case where the different kinds of IC devices are tested with the apparatus, and the work of setting in and taking out the trays, further maintenance works for the apparatus as a whole.
Here, in the loader portion, the IC devices to be tested must be moved and/or mounted from the tray or the like onto the test board, while in the unloader portion, the IC devices completed with testing must be moved or taken out from the test board onto the tray or the like. This work, in general, is performed by a handling means which sucks the IC device at a package portion thereof with a vacuum, therefore the test board must lies in the horizontal condition. Therefore, in the known testing apparatus mentioned in the above, the loader and unloader portions are positioned on the upper position of the vertical transfer passage for the test boards, wherein this test board is turned from the horizontal lying condition into the vertical standing condition within the stage before it is transferred from the loader portion into the pre-heat portion, so as to reverse the position thereof, while it is turned from the vertical condition back to the horizontal condition after being carried out from the defroster portion. Also, the transfer passages for transferring the test board under the vertical standing condition, i.e., starting from the re-heat portion through the testing/measuring portion where the test board is connected with or separated from the test head of the IC tester and reaching to the defroster portion, is formed or provided on a straight line.
By the way, requirements for conducting the testing on the IC devices more quickly and more effectively becomes stronger in recent years, though it is desirable in the construction thereof, for that purpose, so that plural test broads, for example, two (2) test boards can be positioned, so as to be connected with or separated from the test heads, simultaneously, however, the conventional art mentioned above shows only the construction in which only one test board is connected to the test heads, i.e., it fails to show anything about the construction for connecting or separating the plural test boards, to or from the test heads. In this conventional art, the transfer passages, through which the test board is transferred under the vertical standing condition from the pre-heat portion through the testing/measuring portion until reaching to the defroster portion, are formed in straight-like form, therefore when trying to make the plural test boards in contact with or separate from the test head, simultaneously, the test boards must be disposed aligning horizontally, so as to be connected with or separated from the test heads. Further, since it is necessary to providing means for transferring the test boards between them, etc., the total construction of the apparatus comes to be long-sized in the horizontal direction, as well as, a thermostatic chamber must be provided until the testing/measuring portion, including the pre-heat portion, therefore there is a problem that it is difficult to perform the controlling of temperature with accuracy.
An object according to the present invention is, for dissolving the above problems, to provide a testing apparatus and a method thereof, with which a small and compact-sizing of the apparatus can be achieved, but is two (2) test boards can be connected with or separated from the test heads, simultaneously, while being standing vertically, thereby obtaining the testing/measuring of electric property on each of the IC devices mounted on each of the test boards, smoothly and quickly.
For accomplishing the object mentioned in the above, in accordance with the present invention, there is provided a testing apparatus of IC devices, comprising a loader portion, a pre-heat portion, a testing/measuring portion, a defroster portion, and an unloader portion, wherein after being transferred from the loader portion to the pre-heat portion so as to bring the IC devices under a condition of a predetermined temperature, test boards, on each of which are mounted a predetermined number of IC devices, are transferred into the testing/measuring portion, so as to be conducted with testing/measuring of electric properties on the IC devices mounted thereon by connecting them to test heads, and thereafter are transferred through the defroster portion into the unloader portion, wherein said loader portion and said unloader portion hold said test board lying horizontally on an almost equal horizontal plane, while providing a vertical transferring means for transferring said test board under a condition of standing vertically, in said pre-heat portion, said testing/measuring portion and said defroster portion, and further positioning said pre-heat portion in an upper position and said defroster portion in a lower position, upon a basis of said horizontal plane, and in said testing/measuring portion is provided a contact/separate means for connecting two of the test boards onto said test heads, respectively, after positioning them in the upper position and the lower position of said horizontal plane.
Herein, on said test board are provided a predetermined number of mounting portions on which the IC devices are mounted, being aligned vertically and horizontally, and in each of those mounting portions is provided a clamp member for clamping the IC device under condition of able to be opened or closed. With this, the IC devices are held under the condition of being positioned with stability, therefore will not moved recklessly even when the test board is changed into the vertical standing condition. In a transit portion from said loader portion to said pre-heat portion is provided a first board reverse means for reversing said test board from the horizontal condition into the vertical condition directing downward, since the pre-heat portion is located in the upper portion than the horizontal plane, it is preferable to achieve the reverse of the test boards in a lower portion of the pre-heat portion. And, the test board being in the vertical condition by this first board reverse means is pushed up to the position as high as said pre-heat portion, by a push-up means for pushing. While in a transit portion from said defroster portion to said unloader portion, since the unloader portion is located below the horizontal plane, there is provided a second board reverse means for reversing said test board from the vertical condition into the horizontal condition at the position as high as said horizontal plane or in vicinity thereof, around an upper position thereof.
Further, according to the present invention, the contact/separate means comprises a board disposition unit for positioning said test boards into two stages locating up and down, and a pusher unit for connecting this board disposition unit to said test heads. The board disposition unit has at least a holder frame which can be shifted into a direction being close to or separate from said test heads, and this holder frame comprises a first and second test board disposition portions located up and down, further an inlet for the test board is provided at one side portion while an exit for the test board at other side portion at a lower position thereof, and a transfer passage for the test board is formed from the first test board disposition portion to the second test board disposition portion. With such the structure, said first and second test board disposition portions can be formed on a surface opposite to that of said holder frame facing to said test heads. And, in each of said first and second test board disposition portions of this holder frame is formed an opening for exposing a portion of said test board, where the IC devices are mounted on, and further in each test board disposition portion are provided guide members for guiding the test board at a lower end portion and a side portion thereof and a positioning means made of a positioning pin which can be engaged with the test board, while in said test board is formed a positioning hole into which the positioning pin can be inserted. Further, a guide member for guiding said test board in said first test board disposition portion is provided in said transfer passage, and the guide member can be opened or closed in front of the passage from said first test board disposition portion to said second test board disposition portion. The holder frame, though being able at least to move in the direction that it comes close to or separate from the test heads, as was mentioned previously, it is also possible to be constructed shift in horizontal direction by a distance of pitch in positioning the IC devices which are mounted on said test board. On the other hand, the pusher unit comprises a pusher base, which is disposed on a side opposite to that facing to said test heads in said holder frame, and pushers being supported on the pusher base and for pushing each of the test boards, which are positioned in said first and second test board disposition portions, toward said test heads, individually.
Also, according to the present invention, there is further provided a testing apparatus of IC devices, comprising: a loader portion for mounting a predetermined number of the IC devices on each of test boards transferred on a horizontal reference plane; a pre-heat portion for receiving the test boards transferred on said horizontal plane from said loader portion and so as to bringing the IC devices mounted thereon into a predetermined temperature condition; a testing/measuring portion having test heads and for performing testing/measuring on the IC devices mounted on the test boards; a defroster portion for receiving the test boards transferred from said testing/measuring portion and for bringing the IC devices completed with testing/measuring thereon into other predetermined temperature condition; and an unloader portion for receiving the test boards transferred on said horizontal reference plane from said defroster portion so as to unload the IC devices from the test boards depending on test results obtained in said testing/measuring portion, wherein each of said test boards is constructed to holds the IC devices mounted thereon when it is in a vertical standing condition, and further in said testing/measuring portion is provided a contact/separate means for bringing two (2) of said test boards standing in vertical condition in upper and lower positions with respect to said horizontal reference plane, into contact with or separate from said test heads, simultaneously.
Further, according to the present invention, in the testing apparatus of IC devices as mentioned in the above, wherein said pre-heat portion is located in the upper position with respect to the horizontal reference plane, and wherein said pre-heat portion includes a transit passage from said loader portion, in which said test boards are change from the horizontal position into the vertical position, by virtue of gravity of weight of said test boards, and further wherein in said testing/measuring portion is provided a mechanism for bringing the test board standing in vertical condition, which is transferred from said pre-heat portion, into the lower portion with respect to said horizontal reference plane, by virtue of gravity of weight of said test board.
Moreover, according to the present invention, in the testing apparatus of IC devices mentioned in the above, wherein said defroster portion is located in the lower position with respect to the horizontal reference plane, and wherein said defroster portion includes a transit passage to said unloader portion , in which said test boards are change from the vertical position into the horizontal position on said the horizontal reference plane. Further, in the above, said test boards are circulated starting from said loader portion, passing through said testing/measuring portion, said defroster portion and said unloader portion, and turned back to said loader portion again.
And, according to the present invention, there is also provided a testing method of IC devices, comprising the following steps of: loading a predetermined number of the IC devices on each of test boards transferred on a horizontal reference plane; pre-heating the test boards being transferred on said horizontal plane from the above step so as to bringing the IC devices mounted thereon into a predetermined temperature condition; testing/measuring electric properties of the IC devices mounted on the test boards, with standing at least two (2) of the test boards in vertical position in upper and lower positions with respect to the horizontal reference plane and bringing them in contact with test heads, simultaneously; defrosting the test boards transferred from said above step for bringing the IC devices completed with testing/measuring thereon into other predetermined temperature condition; and unloading the IC devices from the test boards transferred on said horizontal reference plane from said above step, depending on test results obtained in said testing/measuring step.
In the testing method of IC devices, as mentioned in the above, according to the present invention, wherein the test boars on which the IC devices are mounted are brought into the vertical standing condition when they are transfer into the step of said pre-heating, and are transferred into the step of said testing/measuring in the vertical standing condition thereof. Further, according to the present invention, in step of said testing/measuring, the test boar is moved downward into the lower position with respect to said horizontal reference plane by virtue of gravity of weight of said test board. And, also according to the present invention, the test boards are changed from the vertical standing position into the horizontal position when they are transferred into the step of said unloading after being completed with the step of said defrosting.